WHEN FOOTBALL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his big announcement last week he said "Super Bowl 48 in 2014 goes to New York – New Jersey."
Only he misspoke. It is going to New Jersey, East Rutherford to be precise.
And the new $1.6 billion stadium in East Rutherford was where principal owners of the Giants and the Jets joined governors Chris Christie and David Paterson the following day to glow in the thrill of the honor. This will be the first time a Super Bowl has been assigned to an outdoor stadium in a region where the average winter temperature is below 50 degrees. An elated Christie said "Who cares whether it snows or not? We're going to make this the best Super Bowl ever."
Half way through the press conference a reporter asked Christie how come the mayor of East Rutherford, the host community was not present on the dais. All hands were momentarily flabbergasted, but the governor recovered quickly and said "Sometimes we overlook a member of the family, but we love Mayor (James) Cassella." He added later "I can assure you when the game is broadcast in 2014, the announcer will say it is coming live from East Rutherford, New Jersey."
If that happens, it will be the first time the location is attached to coverage of an event from the meadowlands. I wouldn't be surprised if television viewers around the nation who have watched big name concerts, a papal visit and countless sporting events in the stadium think it is in New York.
When reporters caught up to Mayor Cassella he said the reason he was not at the press conference was because he hadn't been invited and found out about it when it was mentioned on the news.
CASSELLA ADDED that he is well accustomed to the town and its officials being ignored where the stadium is concerned, but fully expects that in February 2014 East Rutherford will be called upon for some help with the event, such as snow removal or traffic control.
Still later, an aide to the governor said that an e-mail invitation had been sent to the mayor the day before the press conference. Mayor Cassella said he was a day behind reading his e-mail and "A telephone call would have been more appropriate."
Super Bowls are never just a one-day event. Host cities usually have a week of pre-game activities and parties, and this one will be no exception said Mark Lamping, president and CEO of New Meadowlands Stadium Company, which runs the giant venue. The Giants-Jets Meadowlands Committee, which mounted the campaign that swung NFL owners to make the 2014 decision, has already started scouting around for corporate sponsorships, with the likelihood that some $40 million will be needed.
Gov. Christie, who has been ambivalent, if not downright hostile towards Xanadu, the retail/entertainment complex being built across the highway from the stadium, said he fully expects that facility to be finished and a viable attraction by 2014, adding to the festive situation.
There is a school of thought that the Giants and the Jets should be identified as being from New Jersey, since their plush home is here, but when Christie Whitman was governor she failed in an attempt to get the names changed, due to the wording of the original contracts.
OF OTHER THINGS...A couple of follow-ups to recent columns...I wrote about the problems facing hospitals when they have extremely obese patients. The Associated Press reported that authorities in Bridgeport, Conn., had to remove an interior wall and part of an exterior one on a second floor apartment to bring out the body of an 800-pound man who died at age 35 from natural causes. The body was lowered to the street by a pay loader, and the report said the city had considerable difficulty finding a funeral home that would handle the matter.
Readers who spoke to me about the column on Arizona's efforts to reduce the number of illegal aliens were unanimously in favor of the program, which put them in line with a national poll that showed 71 percent of respondents favored police requests for immigration documentation, whether it is termed racial profiling or not.
WHEN FOOTBALL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his big announcement last week he said "Super Bowl 48 in 2014 goes to New York – New Jersey."
Only he misspoke. It is going to New Jersey, East Rutherford to be precise.
And the new $1.6 billion stadium in East Rutherford was where principal owners of the Giants and the Jets joined governors Chris Christie and David Paterson the following day to glow in the thrill of the honor. This will be the first time a Super Bowl has been assigned to an outdoor stadium in a region where the average winter temperature is below 50 degrees. An elated Christie said "Who cares whether it snows or not? We're going to make this the best Super Bowl ever."
Half way through the press conference a reporter asked Christie how come the mayor of East Rutherford, the host community was not present on the dais. All hands were momentarily flabbergasted, but the governor recovered quickly and said "Sometimes we overlook a member of the family, but we love Mayor (James) Cassella." He added later "I can assure you when the game is broadcast in 2014, the announcer will say it is coming live from East Rutherford, New Jersey."
If that happens, it will be the first time the location is attached to coverage of an event from the meadowlands. I wouldn't be surprised if television viewers around the nation who have watched big name concerts, a papal visit and countless sporting events in the stadium think it is in New York.
When reporters caught up to Mayor Cassella he said the reason he was not at the press conference was because he hadn't been invited and found out about it when it was mentioned on the news.
CASSELLA ADDED that he is well accustomed to the town and its officials being ignored where the stadium is concerned, but fully expects that in February 2014 East Rutherford will be called upon for some help with the event, such as snow removal or traffic control.
Still later, an aide to the governor said that an e-mail invitation had been sent to the mayor the day before the press conference. Mayor Cassella said he was a day behind reading his e-mail and "A telephone call would have been more appropriate."
Super Bowls are never just a one-day event. Host cities usually have a week of pre-game activities and parties, and this one will be no exception said Mark Lamping, president and CEO of New Meadowlands Stadium Company, which runs the giant venue. The Giants-Jets Meadowlands Committee, which mounted the campaign that swung NFL owners to make the 2014 decision, has already started scouting around for corporate sponsorships, with the likelihood that some $40 million will be needed.
Gov. Christie, who has been ambivalent, if not downright hostile towards Xanadu, the retail/entertainment complex being built across the highway from the stadium, said he fully expects that facility to be finished and a viable attraction by 2014, adding to the festive situation.
There is a school of thought that the Giants and the Jets should be identified as being from New Jersey, since their plush home is here, but when Christie Whitman was governor she failed in an attempt to get the names changed, due to the wording of the original contracts.
OF OTHER THINGS...A couple of follow-ups to recent columns...I wrote about the problems facing hospitals when they have extremely obese patients. The Associated Press reported that authorities in Bridgeport, Conn., had to remove an interior wall and part of an exterior one on a second floor apartment to bring out the body of an 800-pound man who died at age 35 from natural causes. The body was lowered to the street by a pay loader, and the report said the city had considerable difficulty finding a funeral home that would handle the matter.
Readers who spoke to me about the column on Arizona's efforts to reduce the number of illegal aliens were unanimously in favor of the program, which put them in line with a national poll that showed 71 percent of respondents favored police requests for immigration documentation, whether it is termed racial profiling or not.